Walk into Cal 27, the newest all-day diner at Taj Bengal (the pin code of the hotel is 700027 and therefore the name) and you will feel as you’ve stepped into the courtyard of an old North Calcutta Rajbari/Jamidar Bari. From the chequered marble floors to the green ‘khorkhori janala’, one can clearly see where the designer was inspired from while conceptualizing the interiors. And for someone like me who is obsessed with old Calcutta and old Calcutta houses, that is the first thing that made me fall in love with the place that replaced another favorite, The Hub.

Cal 27 Buffet

The Cal 27 buffet is a lavish affair! The buffet station is located right in the middle of the restaurant and you can spot a wide variety of salads, cold cuts, soups, breads, pizzas, pastas, main course dishes, desserts and fresh fruits. From Indian to Asian, European and Mediterranean, the options are limitless. I went on a Saturday for lunch and filled my plate with grilled fish, tenderloin terrine, Milano salami, sausages, succulent kababs, biryani, honey glazed pork belly and a brilliant orange and chocolate pudding.

I am a dessert freak and I judge the quality of a good buffet by the number of desserts it has. The Cal 27 buffet has an endless variety. From tiramisu to cheese cake to pudding to tarts, fresh fruit and ice cream, they have it all. One day, I’m just gonna forget about the calories and go to Cal 27 only to eat the desserts in the buffet spread. Yes, they are that good!

Buffet Pocket Pinch

Everyday Breakfast (7 am to 10.30 am) – Rs 850+

Weekday Lunch (12.30 pm to 3 pm) – Rs 1550+

Weekday Dinner (7 pm to 10.30 p.m) – Rs 1650+

Saturday Lunch (1 pm to 3.30 pm) – Rs 1750+ (with unlimited beer)

Sunday Brunch (1 pm to 3.30 pm) – Rs 2150+ (with sparkling wine)

Sunday Brunch (1 pm to 3.30 pm) – Rs 2950+ (with champagne)

Child Buffet (Saturday and Sunday Lunch) – Rs 1200+

Taj Autograph Collection

The best part of the Cal 27 menu for me is definitely the Taj Autograph Collection. Sitting in Kolkata, you can sample the best dishes from some of the most iconic Taj properties across the world. Five dishes make up the Autograph collection.

Fish & Chips from St. James Court, London – Calcutta bhekti deep fried in a beer batter and served with peas, tartare sauce, french fries and malt vinegar. Most restaurants mess up with Fish & Chips. Either the batter is not crispy or the fish is not tender enough but what is served in Cal 27 is just perfect. Moist, tender fish fillets wrapped in a light crispy beer batter. So British!

Fish & Chips

Vegetable/Fish Exotica from Taj Exotica, Maldives – Fish exotica is fish and shrimp coconut curry served with rice, salad and crispy shallots. A spoonful of this curry will transport you straight to the white sands and clear water beaches of the Maldives!

Fish Exotica

Vegetarian/Non Vegetarian Lamprais from Taj Samudra, Colombo – Sri Lankan specialty of yellow rice, vegetables or meat curry and egg wrapped and baked in banana leaves served with sambol. This dish is the epitome of comfort food and a distant cousin of the Bengali ‘khichuri’. It is messy and soggy but the taste makes up for it!

Non Vegetarian Lamprais

Vegetable/Shrimp Nasi Goreng from Vivanta by Taj, Langkawi – Fried rice tossed with shrimps, topped with a fried egg and served with chicken satay and crackers. This fragrant rice dish is the ultimate comfort food for spicy food lovers!

Shrimp Nasi Goreng

Vegetable/Chicken Bunny Chow from Taj Cape Town – Bunny Chow or Bunny is a South African fast food dish consisting of hollowed-out bread filled with vegetable or chicken curry.

This dish has a very interesting history as I got to know from the internet (geniuskitchen.com). ‘During the Great Depression in 1933, Indians, Whites and Chinese in Durban, South Africa, suffered hunger like everyone else. The kids then discovered that the cheapest curry they could buy (for a quarter penny or half a penny) was made by a vegetarian Indian caste known in Durban slang as the Bania. It was made from dried sugarbeans (no meat). The children didn’t have plates, and one kid got the bright idea to hollow out a quarter bread, asked the seller to put the bean curry in the hollowed-out bread, and then used the broken bread he’s taken out as a sort of eating utensil. Chinese food was called “chow”. Somehow the two words came together: Bania Chow. In time it simply became known as Bunny Chow. Bunny Chow was what the Indian sugar plantation workers took as their day’s food to the lands: curry in hollowed-out bread halves’.

Bunny Chow

If you look at the menu of Cal 27, you will see that soul food or comfort food makes up the biggest chunk. It is food that you and I are familiar with and love eating. It is food that is not pretentious or claims to be ‘out of the box’ and that to me is the USP of the place. And the reason why I will be heading to Cal 27 pretty frequently.

The ‘Martha Stewart of India’, a writer, a food critic, an anchor, a chef, a businesswoman, a consultant, a ‘food guru’ who has been influencing the way people eat and perceive good food for nearly 25 years, Karen Anand is an institution in herself. She is an inspiration to many in the food and wine business and it was my pleasure to have spent a wonderful afternoon with her at The Taj Bengal recently, courtesy the Pikturenama duo, Anindya and Madhushree. Karen was in the city for the Kolkata edition of her Farmers’ Market and she hosted a Bloggers Table for some of us at The Hub, Taj Bengal. The main topic of conversation? Of course, food! 😀

Farmers’ Markets by Karen Anand are open air whole foods market featuring restaurants, wineries, gourmet foods, fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses & more. These markets are held annually across five cities in India and 2016 was the third edition of the Kolkata Market. This year, Karen introduced some new products in the Pune Farmers’ Market signature range of conserves, dressings and sauces and we were the first to get a taste of them in Kolkata. My favorite was the Tibetan Sauce and and the Singapore Chilli Garlic Sauce which had a hint of sweetness. The Wholegrain Mustard with Chilli was also a hit with the bloggers along with the two conserves – Alphonso Mango and Fig and Orange.

Southern Spice, Taj Coromandel’s famous South Indian restaurant occupies a distinct place in the culinary map of India. If you are a fan of Southern Spice or if you want to get a taste of what this restaurant offers, head over to Taj Bengal where Chef Shanmugan from Southern Spice is showcasing food from the four states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The festival is on till 3rd July at the Sonargaon for Lunch and Dinner.

There will be 3-4 traditional Bengali dishes in the Hub buffet as a special highlight for the occasion. In all buffets including breakfast, lunch and dinner, there will be few special menu which will include food items like luchi, cholar dal, potol er dolma, chingrir malai curry etc.

A specially crafted menu is offered in the Junction with local street specialities served as part of the snacks menu like macher chop, mangshor chop, posto bada and mochar chop.

Date: 14th April, 2016 – Thursday

The Promenade Lounge

The display counter at The Promenade Lounge apart from the European desserts will have special Bengali sweets, made in house by our master chefs like, kamla bhog, kacha golla, goja, kara paker sandesh, kheer kadam , labanga latika to name a few.

Date: 14th April, 2016 – Thursday

Gateway Hotel

The Gateway Hotel Kolkata

This Poila Boisakh, you are cordially invited to experience the taste of traditional Bengali Zamindari food at Buzz. From Nawabi Amish to Nawabi Niramish, indulge yourself to a treat of old Kolkata cuisine which will include a selection of fresh prawns and seafood. Some special dishes in the buffet will be Dishi Dimer Devil, Guri Aloo Bhaja Posto Diye ,Machher Kochuri, Dhakai Roast murgi, Parshe Machh er tel jhal and Chingri Pulao. For the dessert there will be Jilipi, Labang latika and Chhanar Toast among others. (Menu Attached)

Soak yourself in the aroma of home-ground spices, and the flavor of the good old times to succumb yourself into serenity.

Venue: BUZZ at The Gateway Hotel EM Bypass Kolkata

Date: Thursday, 14th April 2016

Timing:

Lunch Buffet (12:30 pm to 3:30 pm)

Dinner Buffet (07:30 pm to 11:00 pm)

Price: Rs. 1449 plus taxes for buffet per person

Hyatt Regency Kolkata

For the ’City of Joy’, for the Bengalis at heart, for the celebration of Poila Baisakh spirit, make your way to the Bengali Food Festival at Hyatt Regency Kolkata. What better way to revel in the grand beginning of Noboborsho than by exploring the biggest Bengali Bhoj!

Have a memorable reunion with your friends and family at Guchhi or 24X7 Waterside Café with a wide spread of the most delectable Bengali cuisine.

Bond over a mouthwatering selection of rich and spicy cuisines with daab chingri, echorer dalna, kosha mangsho and more. It does not stop there – the sweet pleasantries will continue with nallen gurer, rossogolla and rajbhog.

Usher in the Noboborsho with the Bangali foodie spirit!

Date – 14 April 2016

Venue – Waterside Café and Guchhi

Time – Waterside Cafe from 12noon to 3pm | 7pm to 11pm and Guchhi from 7 pm-11pm

Taj Bengal (19-22 Oct)

Taj Bengal Durga Puja Menu

Sonargaon – Discover the nuances of authentic traditional Bengal cuisine as you savour a Bengali Thali. The large platter is served with portions of different dishes like Topshe Fish fry, Golmorich mangsho and Bhapa Misti Doiprepared from recipes from households of Bengal. Enjoy a regal touch as you dine out of silver! Time:12:30 Hrs – 15:00 Hrs ( Lunch )/19:30 Hrs – 00.00 Hrs ( Dinner ).

Seafood Thali – ₹. 2900 + Tax

Aamish Thali – ₹. 2700 + Tax

Niramish Thali – ₹. 2500 + Tax

The Hub – The Hub will have something special to offer guests at any time of the day! Varied choice in Continental and Indian cuisines like Smoked salmon and beckti duplex with spinach veloute, Tomato and aubergine galettes melted mozzarella and holy basil, Achari gosht, Chanar muthia and many more, the buffets also present a choice of regional favorites.

The Gateway Hotel

The Gateway Hotel Durga Puja Menu

Buzz – Indulge in our special buffet spread of local & International cuisine with your family and friends. The buffet is a must try, featuring a splendid international spread including Purbo and Paschim Bangla exotics, Western cuisines and local favourites, extensive selections range from seafood platter on ice, crunchy salads, local cuisine such as Murgh pulao, Koraishuti Diye Fulkopir bati Chorchori . Ending with a sweet finale with our array of delectable desserts that includes cheesecake, mud cake, home-made pastries and mithai from in house halwai.